Courts and Judiciary

The federal trial opened Monday for Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan, who is accused of obstructing ICE by helping Eduardo Flores‑Ruiz evade agents during a courthouse encounter — prosecutors say she directed him through a private door, told agents she would “take the heat,” and plan to call roughly two dozen witnesses with opening statements expected to run through at least Thursday. Dugan’s defense says she followed a draft courthouse policy and referred agents to Chief Judge Carl Ashley, U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman denied her motion to dismiss, and if convicted she faces up to six years in prison while Flores‑Ruiz has since pleaded no contest to a state charge and been deported.

President Donald Trump announced on Dec. 11 that he had granted a "full pardon" to former Mesa County clerk Tina Peters, and her attorney Peter Ticktin said he was formally notified after urging clemency amid claims she was threatened and attacked in jail. The pardon is largely symbolic because presidential clemency does not apply to state convictions — Peters was convicted on multiple state counts for allowing a man linked to Mike Lindell access to election equipment, was sentenced in 2024 to 8.5 years, and remains in Colorado custody after a federal magistrate denied her release; efforts by the administration to transfer her to federal prison were opposed by state officials.

The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that New Jersey’s medically assisted‑suicide law applies only to state residents, in an opinion by Judge Stephanos Bibas. The decision came amid a Delaware plaintiff’s death from stage‑four lymphoma after arguments, and on‑record disappointment from plaintiff Dr. Paul Bryman. The court noted New Jersey’s statute requires a six‑month prognosis confirmed by two physicians, two patient requests with witness‑limit rules, self‑administration, and a discussion of palliative care, and Delaware’s own aid‑in‑dying law takes effect Jan. 1.